Rui Costa hopes to see Benfica hit magic number in the Champions League | OneFootball

Benfica, in addition to aiming for a place in the Champions League round of 16, is also looking to secure another significant financial gain. According to reports, the club’s management, led by Rui Costa, is hopeful that the team, coached by José Mourinho, can overcome the major obstacle that is Real Madrid.

Just hours before taking the field for the first leg of the playoff, the newspaper Record highlighted the Eagles’ ambition to reach the next stage, in order to collect an additional 11 million euros for qualifying for the Champions League round of 16.

According to the sports daily, between qualification, performance in the group stage, and subsequent advancement to the competition’s playoff, Benfica’s coffers have already secured around 53.1 million euros. If they overcome Real Madrid, Mourinho’s squad could raise the total to 64 million euros, which would greatly please Rui Costa.

If this scenario materializes, Benfica would be closer to matching the amount earned in the previous edition. In the 2024/25 season, the Club from Luz, then led by Bruno Lage, reached the Champions League round of 16, where they were eliminated by Barcelona, who went on to be semi-finalists. In total, the Eagles accumulated 71.4 million euros.

The match is scheduled for this Tuesday, February 17, at 8:00 PM at Estádio da Luz, and will be refereed by François Letexier. The clash will be broadcast on Sport TV and will have exclusive commentary on Benfica FM.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.